5/6/09

Dear BikeNewBlack, Book Review

My friend Joe was a little disappointed in me for not having any books on my Best of '08list. So I decided to read a book from 2008: I Have Fun Everywhere I Go:Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World. By Mike Edison. My semi-official review is as follows...

Fuck this guy.

Why, you ask? Excerpt:

We had a few hours to kill, just enough time to get good and stoned and then catch the train to Brussels for our first show, opening up for Soul Asylum, who along with Husker Du and the Replacements, were part of the great Minneapolis renaissance that threatened to take over rock for about ten minutes in the late eighties.

While we were beside ourselves with glee, half drunk and high like baboons, the Soul Asylum boys were a study in road burn. It was the first show of our tour, and it was their last. They had been on the road for months, and just wanted to go home to Minneapolis, listen to their Prince records on the banks of Lake Minnetonka, and watch ice hockey, or whatever it is that one does in Minnesota. This is where I would normally say something like "Typical New Yorker"; but if I did that I'd be doing the same thing I'm mad at him for.

Okay, now that I got that out of my system, my official review is as follows...

Misinformed dismissals of my beloved homeland aside, this was actually a pretty good read. If you're into anyone of the aforementioned P's listed in the title, you will find something entertaining in this book. Edison is an NYU film school dropout who's 90's drug and alcohol fueled journey eventually leads him to becoming the publisher of the most notorious magazine in the world, High Times. There are many stops along the way, including but not limited to, being the 'editor' of Main Event magazine-after winning the title in an actual professional wrestling match, periodically writing smut for Cheri, Screw, and Penthouse Letters and playing drums for punk rock legend GG Allen. Although there are a few Dude is trying too hard moments and it drags on a bit towards the end (the High Times stuff), it's for the most part, a titillating and accurately titled savage tale.

Disclaimer: Within is merely documentation and fictionalization, which is in no association with the publishers' identity and therefore cannot be used as evidence in the court of law to identify and/or incriminate the authors or anyone associated with these persons. The authors do not endorse or participate in illegal or morally questionable activity, but show an appreciation for and documentation and fictionalization of this lifestyle. If you see a photo of yourself that you'd like removed, email us, and we will take it down. Same goes for stories--names can easily be changed at your request. All content is intellectual property of HotDogDayz™. When using content from this site or the zines, please include a link or properly annotate. If you are easily offended, have a lousy sense of humor, or hate fun, HDD is probably not for you. Please view at your own risk!